Naruto Tenmō (Part II): Danger in the Fabric
--- He couldn't hold back from coughing as the cheap secondhand smoke that lingered in the air filled his lungs. The poignant smell of old sake wafted towards them as they passed a rather seedy looking bar, and Yoru thought about how hard it must've been to live in a place such as this. Crime ruled this place, a city rotting from the inside out, a symptom of its never ceasing decay. Desolate hearts ruled by hopelessness were literally only a stone's throw away; after all, they consisted of pretty much every single human being that was unfortunate enough to reside here. Yoru had observed that everyone they'd passed so far had the same dead, vacant look in their eyes...it was depressing. The atmosphere was so heavy with misery that it felt like gravity had been doubled, weighing down upon him insistently. He absolutely loathed this city and how it sapped the life from him, and right about now, returning home to sounded more than a little appealing. Not a single word of greeting, a smile, even a nod. What a miserable people - not that he could blame them, of course, given where they were. Running a hand through his thick, blonde hair, he forced the image of their target to the forefront of his mind. A rogue from Konoha, exile of the Uchiha clan, who'd been caught abusing their position within the Military Police Force to bring illicit drugs into the village. The Uchiha didn't need another stain on their reputation wandering around, so his father had personally requested the twins' assignment to this mission, trusting in their ability to handle it. Tch, sometimes he wished their father wasn't so confident in them. This corner, that corner, every damn corner had a possibility of concealing danger just around it, making him feel like they'd walked into some kind of death trap. As he walked, he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, attempting to keep his body loose. He could have to spring into action at any moment, after all. Glancing to his right, he felt a huge amount of gratitude as his eyes rested upon the visage of a member of the Yamanaka Clan who had offered the assistance of herself and her companion. There was safety in numbers, so Inochi and Shishi were definitely welcome additions. On his left was his twin brother. Yoru pondered whether or not Akunin was feeling the same sense of dread as him. More often than not, they were on the same page, so he supposed it was likely. It was a great thing Akunin was there, however. There was something reassuring about having his twin by his side. As usual, Takehiko was with them, as well, his former teammate and close friend. Yoru made a silent wish that they'd all get out alive and in one piece, before something caught his eye. A hooded figure was walking quickly...a little too quickly. His eyes narrowed, and his sapphire blue irides became drenched in crimson as his Sharingan activated. Every instinct in his body told him to chase that figure, and he did, tossing one of his three-pronged kunai at a spot directly above the target's head. With graceful ease, the young Uchiha warped to the kunai, marked with his special Fūinjutsu seal, and brought his heel down on the hooded figure's head. The man yelped in pain, and Yoru turned him over with his foot to inspect his face. Sure enough, his instinct hadn't let him down: this was indeed the scumbag they were looking for. Yoru was ashamed that this man shared the name Uchiha with him. "Did you really think you could escape Konoha's justice for long, or that of the clan Uchiha? If so, you're insane. Please don't bother putting up a fight, because you won't last." Out of nowhere, a blade plunged viciously into the back of Yoru's left shoulder, and the Uchiha howled in pain and surprise. The target smirked, getting to his feet and wiping the blood off his face before turning and running. Ever persistent, Yoru attempted to run after him, but found himself surrounded by a group of menacing looking men who he assumed were rogue shinobi of some kind. Gritting his teeth, he shifted into a fighting stance, waiting for one of them to dare to make the first move. ---- "Your mind powers would be greatly appreciated, right now, hun." Shishi speaks up, standing against Inochi's back. The two were giants, both at six feet, but even they were small compared to most of the combatants standing before them. "I would, but there are too many of them. And their minds are storm clouds of rage and negative emotions. I can't push through it." She replies. As one of them lunges towards her, a kunai is lunged towards her chest. With quick execution, she grabs the assailant's wrist and violently jerks it, dislocating the attacker's wrist and forcing him to drop the kunai. With little effort, she lunges forward and lifts him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground. As the storm of assailants charge towards Shishi and Inochi, they coordinate their attacks perfectly, with no delay. Each punch grabbed and their arms broken, kicks giving way to broken legs. Their assaults were intimidating, but ferociously graceful. ---- Looking at the people before them, then at his brother, Akunin sighed. "Why the fuck do I even come with you guys..." He said with an exasperated tone. But there wouldn't be time to wait for an answer, for the attention of two of their opponent's had shifted to him. One was larger, and armed with nothing but his rough, muscular fists. While, the other was smaller, brandishing a kunai in each hand. After sizing up his opponents, Akunin then calculated the distance between them to be six or seven meters at the most. He floated the thought of using his Mangekyō Sharingan's black lightning, it would definitely be the easiest way to deal with them. But then he'd have to explain how he had awakened the Dōjutsu... And he didn't feel like doing that. A bloody glint reflected off of his eyes as a triple Magatama pattern formed over the surface of his irises. As the men attempted to close the distance between them, he used the same tactic he had used to avoid his brother before he had mastered the Flying Thunder God technique. Taking a quick step, he disspated into electric sparks and materialized behind his foes. Akunin then formed a Chidori in his right hand and drove it through the brawny man's chest. He had missed his heart, so he could survive. This sort of force most likely wasn't neccessary, but fuck it. Pivoting on his left foot to face the charging man with the two knives, he caught him in a terrible genjutsu that caused the man to view his own death. Over and over, this would repeat until the man's will was shattered. When he released his opponent, he collapsed onto the ground. "Bitch." He thought as he stepped over him to face new opponents. ---- If he had to be completely honest, the entire village, filled with darkness and shady people, were against his religion. He didn't know what he should do, if he should be direct with the village people and look them in their miserable faces, or if he should look at his own feet and count his steps as they arrived to their destination. It was all madness. However, his inner opinions would be halted once he realized the situation he was in. Two cloaked men with sinister intentions targeted the young man, charging towards him with crude weapons and crude smiles. Takehiko wasn't fazed however. His nature and domain was wind, and he used it extremely well. The winds, empowered by his own will, guarded him from the sharp bladed weaponry. The shield of wind would morph into two arms which quickly knocked back the two criminals, sending them flying down the walkways. His attention turned to Yoru, who he quickly reappeared beside. "Need any help, friend?" he asked with a smile. ---- It seemed as though the others had been right behind him, much to his relief. He'd been worried that he'd left them behind. Yoru didn't have too much time to be glad about that, however, as three of the goons closed ranks around him, including the pissant who'd ambushed him and stabbed him in the shoulder. Twirling one of his kunai between his index and middle fingers, he figured it was just about payback time. With impressive speed and agility, Yoru lunged at the one who had injured him, launching a vicious kick right into the much larger man's solar plexus, sending him stumbling. He then flung his kunai, aiming it a spot right behind the man's shoulder, and warping to it easily: his Flying Thunder God - Second Step tactic. Instantaneously, a whirling sphere of chakra formed in the palm of his right hand, and he slammed the Rasengan into the spot right between his shoulder blades. One down, he thought as the man went flying. The other two, seeing Yoru's speed, backed off slightly, probably to think about how they were going to fight him. Yoru planned on giving them no such luxury. Weaving hand signs quickly, he decided a basic technique of his clansmen would more than suffice to take them down. "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" A small volley of fireballs was created, flying straight towards the two thugs, burning them. He had to admit, it was pretty amusing when they turned tail and ran, trying to put out the flames as their clothes burned, singing them down to the skin. Since they'd tried to kill him, he didn't really have it in him to feel too bad for them. One of them screamed something at him about 'Lord Jashin's retribution', making his eyes narrow. What in the actual fuck? Takehiko appeared by his side, flashing his usual easy smile. "I think I'm alright," the Uchiha responded, chuckling nervously as he realized blood was running down the length of his arm, drops of it dripping off of his fingertips. "Looks like the target got away, though. He ran deeper into the city while those freaks held us up so we couldn't keep chasing him." ---- "Before we go anywhere, we need to get that wound cleaned and bandaged. Who knows what kind of shape that knife was in." Inochi speaks up. Forming a ball of water, Inochi places it over the wound, pulling out the dirt and grime from the battle out of it. While that finished, Shishi carefully applies medical wrappings over the wound, carefully and expertly tied. Being a spy taught her a lot of things, including the delicate art of field medicine, and has become well versed in treating wounds out in the field. "Let me see if I can get an eye on this guy." Shishi speaks up. In an instant, her deep blue eyes turn pale white, a series of veins emerging around her eyes. Peering through the constant chakra signatures, she begins peering through the town. "What we need to find is someone with an elevated chakra rate, caused by both the running, and the injuries he sustained. When you sustain injuries, your blood rate increases to try and naturally heal the wound. So his chakra levels are going to be highly elevated in comparison to normal chakra levels." Carefully peering through every nook and cranny, she finds such a signature far off. "There. Few hundred meters out, two o'clock." Shishi breaks the silence, pointing towards the northeastern portion of the city. ---- "Well, they seem to have things covered." An always lazy Akunin thought as he watched the others. "I'm sure they won't notice if I go get something to eat." And with that, Akunin used his Spark Step to disappear down an alley. He would materialize every several meters to take another step and fade into a crackling flicker. After distancing himself from his comrades, he pulled his hoodie up over his head and shoves his hands into his kangaroo pocket. He then started to look around for a good place to eat. ---- She was hopelessly lost. While well-versed in her skill, it appeared she had underestimated the distance needed, leaving her in a village that reeked with danger. Danger that she appeared oblivious to as she skipped around, taking this as an opportunity to explore. "Hmm......I think I'm still on my home planet..oh well, I'll just have a look around!" Ten thought to herself, before finally noticing how deserted the streets were. And the smoke. And the grimy state of things. Now that she thought about it, the place seemed pretty bleh. Before she could think any further, her stomach roared. "Lunch time!!" With another skip, she would break of into a jog, looking for an eatery of some sort to appease her angry stomach. ---- Akunin was happy that no one seemed to have noticed his sudden departure. He didn't like being a shinobi. It required a lot of work... Something he wasn't too keen on. Missions were even more of a pain to go on when Yoru ended up tagging along. Not that he didn't mind his brother completely taking charge and looking like the real hero in the mix in the end, he couldn't give a fuck about that. But it was that Yoru seemed to have high expectations for him. He would occasionally get irritated with him for being lazy and whatnot. But whatever, right now, food was the number one priority. He quickened his pace, every so often glancing over his shoulder to make sure no one from his group had followed him. "Hopefully, Yoru's distracted talking shit to one of those guys. Prolly whooping some ass right now." He thought as he kept his head turned to watch behind him. But of course, he couldn't see where he was going, and bumped into some soft sort of obstacle. Suddenly turning his head to see what he had hit, his gaze settle on a large pair of breasts. "Damn..." He thought, just before shaking himself out of his trance. His eyes came to meet the face of a beautiful young girl. "Eh, sorry..." He said, scratching the back of his head as he spoke. "Guess I got distracted..." ---- He wasn't the only one daydreaming. Concerned more for her complaining stomach and exploring the landscape, she wouldn't notice a figure coming from the opposite direction. With an oomph, it would smack into her before backing up suddenly. Upon focusing, she would find a dark haired young man; an opportunity in her mind. "HIHI!! Are you a local??!" Ten asked, her voice loud and carrying, "Will you be my friend??!" She poked the lad out of curiosity. ---- "Aw... She's got a cute personality too." Akunin thought to himself as he watched Tenjin prod his chest. "Uh, I'm not exactly local." He said with a smile as he pulled down his hood. "My name's Akunin, and uh, sure I'll be your friend." He was a bit curious himself. This girl, whom he had bumped into, was rather easygoing it seemed. She had tried to befriend him after just meeting him; that wasn't common. Maybe he'd found someone he could spend time with until his team was done with... Whatever they had come here for. He had honestly paid zero attention when the mission was assigned. All he remembered was that his bastard father wanted him and Yoru to go... Together. "So what's your name? It's only fair if I'm gonna be your friend." Akunin winked. ---- "Oh..." her expression fell for a second before brightening after he said yes. "Tenjin!! That's my name! Nice to meet you!!" she added before pausing, "Are you hungry? Because I am looking for a place to eat...but nothing seems open; it's really quiet and eerie. I wonder why...." The lass remained cheerfully oblivious to the dangerous element of the town. ---- Akunin was a little overwhelmed by her fast talking and cheery attitude, but he was able to get a few words out. "Y-Yeah." He studdered, taken aback by all her talking. "Why don't we go eat there? Looks good." Akunin was pointing to a buffet of some sort. Surely they'd have something good to eat. ---- As soon as he pointed it out, the young woman gained tunnel vision. The moment buffet was placed in her line of sight, she ran for the entrance, towing Akunin along with her. "BUFFET. They should have something!!" She would plow through the doorway with a gusto. ---- "H-Hey, what are y-AAAAAAAAH!" Akunin called out as she dragged him behind her. It wasn't long before the two had found the very thing they sought: food. ---- "Come on, it's not much farther." Shishi speaks up. As they keep running, she stops, noting the maze-like surroundings they found themselves in. "Dammit. I can read his signature, but there's no finding him through this maze without going through it the hard way." Shishi annoyingly speaks. Looking down at the muddied ground, she sees freshly laid footprints. "When looking for someone on the run, they will always go different routes to try and fool their pursuers. But even the most random paths will be predictable." She thinks to herself. "Alright, let's follow these footprints. But be careful; he may be leading us astray."